Brett Favre, Thiesmann and The Kids In The Hall

As I watched the Packers get rolled like the Danish Army in WWII, I couldn't help but think how sad the saga of Brett Favre has become.
Then, when Favre threw a touchdown pass to Donald Driver in the last minute of the half -- a score that has all the significance of the obscure college transactions on your agate page (PODUNK U--Hired Bubbler as assistant towel boy, scrotum division) -- Joe Thiesmann's cheering for him conjured the Kids In The Hall.

Remember the early Kids In The Hall skit where Bruce McCullough played a family grandpa who was trying to take his last shit? The premise was the whole family rooting for grandpa, and when he finally lets loose, they convince him he has so much more to live for.

When Favre threw that pass, Thiesmann said something along the lines of, "I'm glad for him, he needed that. That will make him feel good." Something like that. It was fawning and condescending all at once.

Kornheiser kind of mildly called him on it. And Thiesmann breathlessly said, "No, I'm convinced he'll come out of this. I'm convinced he will!"

Is this what it's come to? That exchange was the Favre equivalent of that Kids In The Hall sketch. Fucking sad for a player who I admire, but whose career is going down like a lead balloon. The Packers are bad, and I see little evidence Favre's going to conjure magic to make them better.

He seems destined to challenge John Unitas for saddest end to a QB career. He should have taken his last shit last year.

Thiesmann just said, "Yes, I think he could be as good as he was 8 years ago."

What fucking dream world are you broadcasting from? Are you even watching the damn game? Did you watch any game from last season?

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I turned my back from the computer to yell at the TV when I heard Theismann deliver that line. He said something about how he could be that same quarterback from eight years ago if guys simply caught the ball for him -- like they could do that when he completed 28 passes to opponents last season. I swear, Theismann cannot say a bad word about some quarterbacks. He might blast some, but most get nothing but praise by him.

And believe me, I'm sad as hell that Favre's career has come to this. As much as any Packer fan, I wanted things to end well for him.

But they won't, and anyone who deludes themselves into thinking they will is either crazy, dishonest or is wearing rose-colored glasses. And unfortunately, the fan loyalty to Favre -- while totally understandable -- is also crippling the Packers as an organization, because they're paralyzed in that dreaded "how can you slam the living legend" mode.

The one overriding memory I have of an unmemorable game was Brett Favre, future first-ballot Hall of Famer, playing for all he was worth but failing miserably.

Brett Favre was sacked. Brett Favre threw interceptions. Brett Favre threw incompletions. He threw balls that made you cringe. It wasn't Joe Montana with the Chiefs. People who were and are old enough to remember said it was Joe Namath with the Rams.

Favre played every card, but they all came up deuces. His trademark roll-out-and-throw-a-bullet pass repeatedly died, looking like a punt that wasn't caught, or was popped up and into the arms of Raven defenders who should never have their name mentioned along side one of the greatest quarterbacks of this or any generation.

I remember Brett Favre against the Bears last Christmas. He looked so bad, you just wanted to turn away. But you had to keep watching, to see how bad it got. And then you just wished he would retire.

Favre making foolish mistakes early in his career, that's one thing. He's young, he's pressing, he's trying to make plays to show everyone what he's got. Making those mistakes now -- like on the first play of the game -- is just sad to see. The Packers might as well start Bubby Brister if Favre is going to play like this.

Bubbler, you got it right. This could very well be another Johnny Unitas ending we're seeing here.